ESPN; Kaberle remains a puzzle in Boston

Getty Images

If I was part of the Boston Bruins front office staff; after the Stanley Cup Playoffs are finished, I would wish Tomas Kaberle good luck thank him for his time in Boston and tell him he is free to find a new team, because he isn’t coming back to Boston, three assists in twelve game is unacceptable. This guy is worth no where near the money that he is going to be asking for after the season is over. In my opinion I think that Kaberele is a waste of a uniform and maybe the Bruins should consider sitting him for a game to two to send a message.

BOSTON -- In every series, there seems to be one designated whipping boy. That one, lonely, unfortunate player whose underachieving, faux pas or foibles make him a lightning rod for criticism and derision.

There was Marian Gaborik in New York as the Rangers bowed out in the first round.

There was Nicklas Backstrom in Washington as the top-seeded Capitals were swept in the second round.

Tomas Kaberle has no goals and three assists in 12 postseason games for the Bruins.

There were the goaltenders in Philadelphia who imploded all spring.
And in Boston, there is Tomas Kaberle.

The Bruins, of course, remain a part of the playoff story, competing in their first conference finals since 1992. But Kaberle's tepid play remains one of the most perplexing stories of this postseason and makes the Bruins' attempts to advance to the Stanley Cup finals significantly more difficult.

Maybe it's the history -- the failed attempts by the Bruins to acquire the smooth-skating defenseman from Toronto over the past couple of seasons -- that has ramped up the disappointment meter this spring.

There had been much anticipation at Kaberle's arrival in Boston at the trade deadline. When GM Peter Chiarelli finally pulled the trigger on the long-awaited deal, sending a first-round draft pick, a conditional pick and prospect Joe Colborne to Toronto, there were some who thought Kaberle represented that elusive final piece to the puzzle in ending the Bruins' long Stanley Cup drought.

Now, he's just a puzzle.

No where but up for Tomas Kaberle...

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

EDIT: This blog post was lost in hyperspace and reappeared today. I have never really been a very big fan of Bruins defenseman Tomas Kaberle, he is an offensive defenseman that refuses to hit or play a physical game in a contact sports. In my opinion I don’t think Kaberle is a very good defensive player either and to top it off Kaberle’s price tag is way too high for a one dimensional hockey player, if anything I believe that he may have played himself out of Boston, especially with the emergence of Dennis Seidenberg.

The Hockey News --- Speaking of room for improvement, another burr in the sides of B’s fans has been blueliner Tomas Kaberle. Since coming over in a much-ballyhooed trade from Toronto, the stoic Czech has underwhelmed. That same Boston power play floundered under his influence, which is strange, since that was so much of his game with the Maple Leafs.

But don’t complain, Bruins faithful. Kaberle may not have been remarkable so far in the playoffs, but he too has room for improvement and his ceiling is higher than any of the other options. Think about it: you have a No. 1 defenseman playing the fifth-most minutes (18:06 per game) among Boston blueliners. If he can up his game, all of a sudden the pressure is alleviated from minute-munchers Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, both of whom are dangerously close to playing 29 minutes per contest.

As for the price Kaberle came at - specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick - it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup. Yes, Colborne is starting to round into form as a dangerous pivot in the Toronto organization, but the Bruins aren’t starved for young talent (Brad Marchand being the latest breakout star). Plus, that draft pick will be in the No. 27-30 range thanks to the Bruins’ march to the conference final and potentially beyond.

Ending nearly 40 years of Stanley Cup starvation is worth paying a high price for. Kaberle is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but if his presence in any way helps the Bruins lift the chalice, Boston can say “see ya” on July 1 with a clear conscience

Kaberle to the Bruins? UPDATED...

It looks like the Bruins and Leafs might be making that trade they have been talking about according to Damien Cox, unfortunately, it appears that former Gopher forward Blake Wheeler is not one of those on the way out of Boston. I also see that former DU Pioneer Joe Colborne might be on the move which really wouldn’t be that big of a loss for the Boston Bruins since I think is just a bigger version of Blake Wheeler, a big soft forward that doesn’t like to hit.

All signs are pointing to Tomas Kaberle becoming a Boston Bruin today.

This could change, either in a league trade call that has yet to take place between the Leafs and Bruins, or if the teams miscommunicate in the way they did back in June, 2009 when a deal involving Kaberle for Phil Kessel literally fell apart on the draft floor because Brian Burke and Peter Chiarelli believed they were talking about different deals.

Or, of course, the B's might feel better about their prospects after pounding the Islanders last night.

But right now, it's believed the Leafs would get Boston's first round pick this June (not the second of two first rounders sent to the Bruins in the Kessel deal) and a prospect. Winger Blake Wheeler is apparently not in play, but the Leafs might be zeroing in on one of two good Boston prospects, Ontario junior Ryan Spooner or Providence centre Joe Colborne.

For Leaf fans, Colborne might be the prospect they'd be happiest with, given that he's 6-foot-5 and was Boston's first rounder back in 2008. Spooner has been a more prolific offensive player, particularly this year with Doug Gilmour's Kingston Frontenacs, but he's not as big as Colborne.

I am still holding out hope that the Maple Leafs still get Blake Wheeler, he played with Phil Kessel in college at Minnesota for one year and it would be nice to see those two reunited again. Before Minnesota fans jump down my throat, I am not anti Wheeler as a person, I just am not impressed with his game, he is a big soft forward that doesn’t like to hit and he doesn’t fit the big bad Bruins mold. During the playoffs last spring his game was uninspiring and he couldn’t have hit water if he was standing in a boat.

This is from the Boston Globe hockey blog --- According to a league source, Tomas Kaberle is on the verge of being a Bruin. The Bruins would acquire Kaberle from Toronto for former DU Pioneer Joe Colborne and their own 2011 first-round pick.